High-stakes school accountability policy has assumed a prominent place at the forefront of educational policy debated in the US and in other Western liberal democratic nations such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.
In the US, intense political attention has been focused on accountability, on standardised testing and on the equity effects of both accountability and testing. The great majority of recent debate about educational equity and accountability in US education policy circles has failed to attend to either the dynamism or complexity of these issues, and has, instead, been carried out in a dualistic, good versus evil, fashion. In contrast, the scholarship collected in this edited book moves beyond the prevailing dualism and pushes the discourse about accountability, testing, and educational equity in public schools usefully forward and thus, provides a much-needed resource for researchers, policy makers and practitioners.
After decades of such 'inputs' as how many books are in the school library and the number of computers in the classroom, American education is shining a spotlight on results.

Contents:
1. Introduction, Linda Skrla and James Joseph Scheurich Part 1: The Equity and Accountability Conversation 2. Thinking Carefully about Equity and Accountability, James Joseph Scheurich, Linda Skrla, and Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. 3. Let's treat the Cause, Not the Symptoms: Equity and Accountability in Texas Revisited, Richard Valencia, Angela Valenzuela, Kris Sloan, and Douglas Foley 4. Continuing the Conversation on Equity and Accountability, James Joseph Scheurich and Linda Skrla Part 2: The Effect of Accountability Policy on Educational Equity 5. Accountability for Equity: Can State Policy Leverage Social Justice?, Linda Skrla, James Joseph Scheurich, Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., and James W. Koschoreck 6. Response to Skrla et al. The Illusion of Educational Equity in Texas: A Commentary on "Accountability for Equity", Walter Haney 7. Response to Skrla et al: Is There a Connection Between Educational Equity and Accountability?, Stephen P. Klein 8. Complex and Contested Constructions of Accountability and Educational Equity, Linda Skrla, James Joseph Scheurich, Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., and James W. Koschoreck Part 3: Equity-Focused Research and Responses to Accountability 9. Displacing Deficit Thinking in School District Leadership, Linda Skrla and James Joseph Scheurich 10. Can State Accountability Systems Drive Improvements in School Performance for Children of Color and Children from Low-Income Homes?, Edward J. Fuller, and Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. 11. Accountability and Educational Equity in the Transformation of an Urban District, James W. Koschoreck 12. Using an Aligned System to Make Real Progress for Texas Students, Susan Sclafan 13. Statewide Assessment Triggers Urban School Reform: But How High the Stakes for Urban Minorities?, Laurence Parker 14. Promoting Educational Equity in a Period of Growing Social Inequity: The Silent Contradictions of the Texas Reform Discourse, Gary L. Anderson 15. Polar Positions on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS): Pragmatism and the Politics of Neglect, Henry T. Trueba Part 4: Critiques and Commentaries on the Equity-Accountability Debate16. Educational Accountability for English Language Learnersin Texas: A Retreat from Equity, Bill Black and Angela Valenzuela 17. The Unintended Consequences of the Texas Accountability System, Kathryn Bell McKenzie 18. Intersections in Accountability Reform: Complexity, Local Actors, Legitimacy, and Agendas, Andrea K. Rorrer 19. Accountability for Special Education Students: Beginning Quality Education, Antoinette F. Riester 20. Conclusion: Keeping Equity in the Foreground, Linda Skrla and James Joseph Scheurich

The rapid growth of diversity within U.S. schooling and the heightened attention to the lack of equity in student achievement, school completion, and postsecondary attendance has made equity and diversity two of the principle issues in education, educational leadership, and educational leadership research. The Handbook of Research on Educational Leadership for Equity and Diversity is the first research-based handbook that comprehensively addresses the broad diversity in U.S. schools by race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, disability, sexual identity, and class. The Handbook both highly values the critically important strengths and assets that diversity brings to the United States and its schools, yet at the same time candidly critiques the destructive deficit thinking, biases, and prejudices that undermine school success for many groups of students. Well-known chapter authors explore diversity and related inequities in schools and the achievement problems these issues present to school leaders. Each chapter reviews theoretical and empirical evidence of these inequities and provides research-based recommendations for practice and for future research. Celebrating the broad diversity in U.S. schools, the Handbook of Research on Educational Leadership for Equity and Diversity critiques the inequities connected to that diversity, and provides evidence-based practices to promote student success for all children.

Practical information for school leaders on how to close the achievement gap is in short supply. This book contains practical tools and strategies that make intuitive sense to educators and are easy to apply in reducing inequities in schools. The authors offer a manageable set of indicators to highlight inequities and that can be used in flexible ways for approaching the unique circumstances of any school. Full of charts, graphs, tools, and support materials, readers will move from an understanding of why equity audits are imperative to an understanding of how to do them and how to narrow the teacher quality, programmatic, and achievement gaps in their schools.

The rapid growth of diversity within U.S. schooling and the heightened attention to the lack of equity in student achievement, school completion, and postsecondary attendance has made equity and diversity two of the principle issues in education, educational leadership, and educational leadership research. The Handbook of Research on Educational Leadership for Equity and Diversity is the first research-based handbook that comprehensively addresses the broad diversity in U.S. schools by race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, disability, sexual identity, and class. The Handbook both highly values the critically important strengths and assets that diversity brings to the United States and its schools, yet at the same time candidly critiques the destructive deficit thinking, biases, and prejudices that undermine school success for many groups of students. Well-known chapter authors explore diversity and related inequities in schools and the achievement problems these issues present to school leaders. Each chapter reviews theoretical and empirical evidence of these inequities and provides research-based recommendations for practice and for future research. Celebrating the broad diversity in U.S. schools, the Handbook of Research on Educational Leadership for Equity and Diversity critiques the inequities connected to that diversity, and provides evidence-based practices to promote student success for all children.

Foreword by Carl D. Glickman

"It brings into focus the many aspects of equity and equality in one source. It makes an excellent base for some meaningful discussion of these issues by those working with aspiring educator leaders, as well as those already in the field."
Deborah A. Drugan, Principal
General John J. Stefanik Elementary School, Chicopee, MA

Do you dream of success for every student? Do you dream of raising achievement for each and every child to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act? Historically, underserved students?children of color, children from low-income families, English language learners?all deserve to live this dream. Creating an equitable learning environment in which all students thrive is possible?with this guide you can turn dreams into reality for your school.

Leadership for Equity and Excellence encourages school leaders and teachers to develop creative strategies for student advancement using tools such as accountability, equity audits, and proactive redundancy. Scheurich and Skrla demonstrate how deeply held beliefs manifest as biases, preventing educators from unlocking their students? potential. The authors also examine the U.S. education achievement gap, and suggest several concepts for overcoming this gap, such as:

• Eliminating "can?t" from your vocabulary
• Using creativity, perseverance, and persistence
• Envisioning educators as civil rights workers
• Moving beyond harmful, but entrenched, biases
• Understanding the cultures and backgrounds of each student

Children of color excelling in school . . . children from low-income homes thriving academically . . . classrooms, communities, and even a nation of people becoming truly equal?this is the living dream of today?s educators.